


It's The Start of Something New

by Mae01



Series: Marauders Modern AU [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Best Friends, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Marauders Friendship (Harry Potter), Mentor Minerva McGonagall, Modern Marauders (Harry Potter), One Shot, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Protective Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter Friendship, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin Friendship, Therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29831256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mae01/pseuds/Mae01
Summary: This is the story about how James and Sirius became friends with Remus and Lily."Second group is James Potter, Sirius Black, Lily Evans and Remus Lupin...”“Lil’s, are those the soccer/football boys?”“Sadly,” Lily whispered back to her honourary brother. “James is also the one who keeps asking me out every chance he gets.”
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin & James Potter, Remus Lupin & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin
Series: Marauders Modern AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138295
Kudos: 11





	It's The Start of Something New

**Author's Note:**

> This is a stand-alone work. There are other stories in the universe, but you do not need to read other stories to understand this one.
> 
> I do not own any Harry Potter characters all characters belong to JK Rowling.

“We are going to be partners, right? Mrs Sprout always starts with group projects.” Lily whispered to Remus who was sitting beside her.

“Of course,” Remus replied quietly. “Mrs McGonagall asked the staff to make sure we were partnered together in groups.”

“Alright, class!” Mrs Sprout called out from the front of the class. “We are starting this year off with the human body unit! I want us to start with some group projects and I will pair you up and assign you with a body system you will be researching and submitting to me. We will go over the assignment after I pair you up and then you can move around to sit next to each other. Sounds good?”

A quiet mummer from the class of ‘yes’ and ‘sure‘ and ‘do we have a choice’ rose into the air, causing Mrs Sprout to smile.

“Alright then. First group is Peter Pettigrew, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. Second group is James Potter, Sirius Black, Lily Evans and Remus Lupin...”

“Lil’s, are those the soccer/football boys?”

“Sadly,” Lily whispered back to her honourary brother. “James is also the one who keeps asking me out every chance he gets.”

“Damn...”

“We are in class!” Lily whispered. “At least pretend that you don’t want to be given detention!”

“Calm down, Lil’s. It’s fine. I never get caught swearing. Why are we partnered with them, though?”

“Well they seem to never hand in their homework so maybe Mrs Sprout hoped we would rub off on them?”

“Do you think any of our teachers will realize that I’m not as good of an influence as they think or hope I am?”

“Mrs McGonagall knows...”

“That’s because we see her every week. As much as I love her, she doesn’t count.”

“Well-”

Lily was cut off by the sound of chairs scraping on the ground. Breaking out of their conversation, Remus and Lily look up to see two boys walking towards them. Once they reached the table they pulled out two chairs to sit across from them.

“Hey, I’m James.”

“And I’m Sirius,” the two boys stuck out their hands for their biology partners to shake.

“Hello,” Remus said, shaking both of their hands. “I’m Remus.”

“And I’m Lily.” Following her brother’s lead, Lily shook James and Sirius’ hands.

“Do we know what system we are doing?” Remus asked politely.

“Mrs Sprout asked us to do the Endocrine System or something like that,” Sirius explained briefly.

“Oh, that’s an easy one,” Remus said, looking at Lily. 

“This will take us, what? Three days?” Lily replied, looking back at her friend.

“Uh, hold on,” Sirius said, tapping the table between the two groups. “James and I need to help and we don’t even know what the word ‘endocrine’ means.”

“Um, okay,” Remus muttered. Raising his eyebrow at his sister, he continued. “When are your practices and games? Lily and I can try to move around our work schedules to make it work out.”

“How do you know we play-”

“Remus and I are very observant,” Lily said, interrupting James. “You both walk around like you own the place and almost everyone looks up to you. You use that as an advantage in classes and as excuses. That and you both are wearing the school jerseys.”

“Uh, okay then,” Sirius said quietly. “We have practices on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We have games on Saturdays.”

“What time do you practice until?”

“We are usually done at 5.”

Lily and Remus turned to address each other and started planning.

“Okay,” Lily started, pulling a pen and notebook to write down the plans. “Today is September 6 and this project is due on September 26. Rem and I work most weekdays but we can probably end early on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We are unavailable on Thursdays so that won’t work. I believe the plan is that we will be given Friday classes to work on the project but the rest of the classes during the week will be for teaching.”

“Okay,” Remus agreed, nodding his head. “I’m assuming the project would take Lily and me three evenings so about six hours. Since we will have to catch you both up and split the work it’ll take us longer.” Remus paused, muttering a quick ‘no offence’ to James and Sirius before continuing. “I’d say that catching you both up will take two hours and splitting up the work with be another hour. Our working pace will be slowed down so that means it will take more than three evenings.”

“Should we be taking offence to this?” Sirius asked, looking between Remus and Lily.

“I don’t know,” James commented, also looking between Remus and Lily.

“No, sorry you two,” Lily said with a small smile. “Remus and I are used to working together so we can just sit down and easily do the work. We are just trying to make a plan so that we can start and finish in the most effective and productive way possible.”

“Okay,” Sirius said hesitantly. “Continue planning I guess?”

“Thanks,” Remus said with a nod. “So I’d say about 10 hours of work if there is no visiting or anything but I’m assuming that won’t happen. Let’s plan for six nights of work with a minimal work time of 2 hours each night?”

“That sounds good,” Lily said with a nod. “Do we want to start tonight? Rem and I work until 5:00 so we can meet at The Order and we can work there until it closes? James and Sirius, does that work for you both?”

“I think that works,” James said, looking at his brother for confirmation.

“Yep. Is there a way we can contact you if we are running late?”

Lily looked at Remus for just a moment before handing her phone to James and Sirius.

“Put your contacts in and text me if you’re running late.”

James and Sirius both nodded and typed their numbers in before they heard the bell ring.

“Until tonight?” James asked with a smile.

Remus and Lily nodded before standing up and moving to their next class.

“James just texted me that they will be here in 10 minutes,” Lily said as she wiped the counter down.

“Lovely,” Remus retorted as he continued making drinks behind the bar.

“You okay?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because new people are coming into our lives?”

“Okay, Lily,” Remus laughed as he shook his head. “First of all new people aren’t coming into our lives. We have to do a project with two other students, that doesn’t mean they are ‘coming into our lives.’ Second of all, why would new people coming into our lives make me not okay?”

“Rem,” Lily said, hands on her hips in a lecturing way. “You shut down when new people try to talk to us-”

“I do not!”

“You do, Rem! I’m not saying it’s a bad thing-”

“But it would make me ‘not okay?’”

Lily stared at her best friend as he continued to make drinks. He was always kind but he didn’t trust easily. He didn’t let people in easily when he was a kid and it got harder after the Greyback incident. Remus didn’t like letting others in and he would fight them in the most subtle and cold way that would make him seem unapproachable or unlikable but still nice. Remus was good at that and it was a skill of his.

“I’ll drop it, for now, love. They will be here-”

Before Lily could finish her sentence, the bell above the door ringed, signalling someone walking into the shop. Looking up, Lily saw James and Sirius walk in.

“Hello, James and Sirius,” Lily said politely. “Would you both like to order something? Remus and I will make our orders and then we can sit down and work.”

“That sounds good,” James said. “Uh, can we just have two lattes and two Reuben sandwiches?”

“Of course,” Lily said with a smile.

After James and Sirius paid, they waited for Remus and Lily to join them. 10 minutes later, the two friend groups were sitting across from each other at one of the tables. Lily encouraged the two soccer players to eat and that they would start after they were done.

“How was work for the two of you?” James asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“It was good,” Lily replied. “Not too busy but not too slow.”

“How about you, Remus?” Sirius asked the quiet boy.

“Good,” Remus said with a nod.

“How was your time at home?” Lily asked quickly, noticing the shut down her best friend denied ever having happened.

“It was good. We played soccer in the yard so that was fun.”

The polite conversation continued for another 10 minutes. James would ask a question that Lily would answer and then Sirius would try to include Remus which only caused Remus to give short replies, making Lily return the questions to James and Sirius. If James and Sirius noticed it being strange, they didn’t comment on it.

“So how are you both doing in the understanding of the Endocrine system?” Lily asked as the group walked out of The Order.

“I understand it better now,” Sirius said with a smile. “I don’t have it memorized but I understand it more.”

“Me too,” James added. “Are we planning to meet again tomorrow?”

“I believe so. Remus and I are not working so we can probably meet at the front doors? You two have practice so Rem and I can hang out in the library until then if that works.”

“That sounds good. Where are we planning on going?”

“We can work at my house?” Lily offered.

“Sounds good,” James and Sirius said.

“Did you enjoy talking with Lily?” Sirius questioned as he and his brother walked home.

“It was nice,” James said with a smile. “She’s really sweet.”

“She is. Remus was really quiet though.”

“Really? I didn’t notice.”

“That’s because you were too busy staring at Lily,” Sirius said with an eye roll. “I tried to include him but he seemed like he would rather be doing anything else than talking and sitting with us.”

“Huh,” James sighed, running his hand through his hair in thought. “I didn’t realize… I’ll pay more attention to it next time.”

The brothers continued walking in silence for a couple of minutes. Both boys’ minds were wandering and running 1000 miles per hour. 

James was thinking about Lily. James had liked Lily for the past couple of years but had never been able to start a conversation. Every time there was a dance or event at the school, James would ask Lily to be his date but she would always turn him down. Sure, maybe it came off as a bit of a joke, but he truly did mean it. James really liked her. He liked her bright green eyes, her wide smile, the way she would throw her head back in laughter when talking to Remus and so many other things about her. He wanted to get to know her better but she seemed to never be interested. James hoped that maybe one day he would get to take her on a real date but that wasn’t going to happen before he had an actual conversation with her. Maybe this project would be the start of something new between them.

Sirius was thinking about the quiet boy he has seen in the halls of the high school and in their shared classes over the years. Sirius could only describe Remus Lupin in one word and that one word was ‘mysterious.’ Throughout the years of high school, most students would get to know each other or at least know about each other. Although Hogwarts High School was large, it was common for a certain level of friendship between all the students. In almost all cases, everyone in the same grade would at least know everyone else’s name and a couple of things about them. For example, everyone in the grade 11 class knew the name ‘Lily Evans.’ They knew that Lily’s favourite place was the library, she loved reading books, she had one sister and you could almost always ask her for any homework help and she would help you. Remus, however, was different. He was always with Lily but that was pretty much it. When Lily pulled out a book to read or she was in the library, Remus would follow along. Sirius didn’t know anything about Remus and he was curious. Sirius saw the smiles and laughs he gave Lily or she gave him and Sirius wanted to make Remus smile and laugh like that. Now don’t get Sirius wrong, he didn’t have a crush on Remus. Of course he didn’t, he just believed that being friends with Remus would be fun. Remus looked like a fun person but the only person he would talk openly with was Lily. Maybe the only exception to the only thing people knew about Remus being that he always hangs out with Lily was that anytime someone tries to get to know him that they give up and stop trying within a week because he doesn’t open up. Sirius wanted to get to know Remus but so far that was seeming like it would be impossible.

“-you have awful hair-”

“James?? What the hell?” Sirius exclaimed, bumping his shoulder into his brother’s. “Why are you insulting my hair?”

“I was trying to talk to you but you were zoned out. Nice to see you back on earth, Pads!” James laughed.

“Yeah yeah, what were you saying?”

“It’s not that important now that I think of it,” James said sheepishly, running his hand through his hair.

“You sure? I don’t buy it. Is it not that important or now that you have my full attention you are embarrassed about the question?”

“You don’t have to call me out like that, Pads...”

“James,” Sirius said, laying his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Do you think there was truth in what Lily said today?”

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked in confusion. “I’m pretty sure she was right when she was explaining about the hormones and the endocrine stuff-”

“Not that,” James said as he shook his head. An odd look of thought crossed his face before he sighed and explained what he meant. “Do you think she meant what she said about me walking around like I own the school and I use it for my advantage?”

“Prongs...”

“I’m serious-”

“No, I’m Sirius.”

James stared at his brother with a blank look on his face while Sirius stared back with a spark in his eye and a smirk on his lips. James eventually rolled his eyes and allowed a smile to fall on his lips.

“Fine, I’m not kidding,” James said as he tried to restate his comment. “Do I actually walk around like that and act like that?”

“She was talking to both of us-”

“Answer the question, Sirius.”

Sirius looked at his brother and studied his face. After finding no hesitation in wanting to know, Sirius let out an audible sigh before talking.

“I think sometimes we-”

“Me, Sirius. This isn’t something you need to add yourself to.”

“You’re my brother, Prongs. I’m adding myself to this.” Taking a deep breath, Sirius continued. “We do sometimes act like we rule the school. I mean, we are the stars of the football team. You are the forward centre and I’m the goalie and we do sometimes act like it. We do also tend to use our football status to get out of homework.”

“So Lily is right?”

“James, you also have to realize how different you and I are from Lily and Remus.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it, Prongs. We play games, we go to parties, we act like teenagers should act. Remus and Lily are different and they have always been different from the first day of high school. Don’t beat me up, but this is the stereotypical jocks and nerds being partnered up. They both act like adults and we act like teenagers. So yes, maybe we act differently but we are acting like high schoolers.”

As James and Sirius arrived home, they opened the door to be greeted by Mrs Potter and the smell of fresh-baked cookies.

“Hey, boys!” Mrs Potter yelled from the kitchen. “There are some cookies in here if you want them. How was studying?”

“Thanks, mum!” James exclaimed, shoving a cookie into his mouth. “It was good. I think we might actually have a chance of learning what we are doing a project on.”

“Well, I do like to hear that something might stick in your head,” Mrs Potter said with a happy smile. “Sirius, love? How was it for you?”

“It was good,” Sirius said, taking a bite of his cookie. “The cookies taste amazing, Mrs Potter.”

“Thank you, Sirius,” Mrs Potter said with an eye roll. “But please, either call me Mum or Euphemia. Mrs Potter makes me feel old. You live here, my dear. You moved in this summer and you’re family.”

“Thanks,” Sirius said with a small smile.

“Anyways,” Mrs Potter said, turning around to take a sip from her mug. “You both head upstairs, I can sense you were in the middle of a conversation when you came in.”

“Okay. Thanks, mum!” James replied, standing and racing Sirius to their bedroom. As soon as James fell down onto their couch and started up the Wii to play Mario Cart, he continued the conversation. “Are we too old to be acting like we rule the school?”

“James, what is going on? It’s like you’re having a midlife crisis and you are only 16. I mean if you’re planning to die before 30 then that’s acceptable but I’m planning on you living until you’re 90 or something.”

“I don’t know, man. I just… This is high school. We have one year left and then we are off to where ever. I guess I’m just wondering if this is all there is? Do I want to look back when I have a kid and realize that I was the kid in school that caused other kids to hurt? I don’t want to be that guy and I guess now I’m just having a midlife crisis at 16.”

“Crises are always fun. They just add a little spice to the everyday trauma-”

“Pads! No!”

“So are you still going to deny that you shut down?”

“Lily...”

“Listen,” Lily said quietly, grabbing her brother’s hand as they sat on her floor. “I’m not trying to upset you but I’m worried-”

“There’s nothing to worry about!”

“I’m worried that you won’t admit it!”

Remus stared at his best friend in confusion. Not admit it? Not to admit what? Noticing his confusion, Lily took a deep breath and started to explain.

“I’m worried that you won’t admit that you’re scared or worried about new people coming into our lives. You used to be so open with people and alive.” Lily saw Remus open his mouth to protest but she glared at him and continued her talking. “I’m not blaming you or asking you to go back to who you used to be, Rem. I’m not asking you to change, I just want you to see that you are cautious. You don’t let anyone new in and even with Severus you didn’t let him in.”

“I don’t need anyone new because I have you, Lily.”

“Sweet talk won’t get you out of this talk.”

“It was worth a shot,” Remus said with an eye roll. “Why do I need to let anyone new in?”

“Because that’s what life is about, Rem. Can you just admit that you’re worried to let new people in?”

“What good will that do? I am happy with the people I have in life-”

“I’m the only one, Remus! I’m the only person you have in life and I won’t always be here!”

Silence filled the room as Lily’s words hung in the air. Conversations about Remus’ social life tended to get heated easily and quickly. Lily always tried to encourage Remus to open up but it wouldn’t get very far because Remus wouldn’t admit to closing himself off. No matter how heated the conversations got, Lily would never say that she would never be there for Remus. No matter what happened, Lily would always say she would never leave Remus and that she would be by his side. That is until tonight. Tonight was the first time Lily ever crossed that line when they were arguing about why he should open up more.

Lily quickly regretted her words when she saw a flicker of hurt cross Remus’ face before he put on a mask of indifference and coldness. Pulling his hand from his best friend’s, Remus stood up and grabbed his bag from the floor.

“Rem… Remus, I didn’t-”

“I need to go home,” Remus said with a flat voice.

“Rem,” Lily said quietly with tears in her eyes. She watched as her best friend crawled through her window and into his room. She felt the tears fall as Remus’ window closed and the blinds were shut.

Lily messed up and hurt her brother and he had a right to act how he was acting. Lily didn’t know why she said what she did, but it was too late to take it back. She didn’t mean what she said but for some reason, she had said it.

Remus sat on his bed and rubbed his eyes. He tried to forget what Lily said and tried to remind himself that Lily most likely didn’t mean it at all. She didn’t mean it, right? But was there any truth behind her words? Had Lily thought about leaving Remus before? Remus didn’t have the answers so all he could do was let his mind wander until the sun rose and his alarm went off and signalled him to get ready for the day.

Remus quickly got ready for his day, packing his bag, eating breakfast, packing his lunch and filling his travel mug with coffee to get him through the day. Remus wasn’t ready to talk to Lily yet, so he decided to leave early. At 7:30, Remus left his house and got to the school early to work on any homework he had. When the warning bell rang, Remus made his way to his first class and sat down in his seat in front of James and Sirius and beside Lily.

“Hey,” Lily whispered quietly. “I’m-”

“I need to focus on class,” Remus replied quietly with no emotion behind his words but slight coldness present.

Behind him, James and Sirius exchanged a look of confusion at the coldness in Remus’ tone and the frown on Lily’s almost always smiling face. They didn’t know what was going on but they knew it wasn’t normal for the two best friends to act this way. Hopefully, by the end of practice they would be back to normal…

  
  


“Hey, Rem,” Lily said as the last bell of the day rang and students were dismissed from classes. “Are-”

“I’m meeting with Mrs McGonagall,” Remus stated as he stood up from his chair. As he turned to leave the classroom, a hand on his wrist stopped him. 

“Remus… Please, I didn’t mean-”

“I need to go meet with Mrs McGonagall,” Remus said again, gently pulling his wrist from Lily.

“Do you want me to-”

“I’ll walk to your place after.”

“I can-”

“Lily,” Remus said with a sigh. “You’re fine, I’m not mad. I just need some space.”

“But I hurt-”

“Please stop, Lily. We can talk tonight after James and Sirius leave. Just give me until then, okay?”

“Okay,” Lily said quietly. “May I ask a favour?”

“You can ask but I won’t promise that I’ll say yes.”

“Can you walk James and Sirius over? I promise this isn’t me trying to make you hang out with them but if you can then I can make some cookies for tonight.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll walk them over.”

With a wave of goodbye, Remus and Lily left in opposite directions.

“Mrs McGonagall?”

“Yes, Remus?”

“Do you think I’m too scared or worried to let new people into my life?”

Remus and Mrs McGonagall were in her office playing scrabble while Remus waited for James and Sirius’ practice to end. Looking out of the window, they had a small view of the practice.

“I don’t think I’m able to answer that for you,” Mrs McGonagall started, glancing between Remus and the practice he was watching. “I think only you are able to answer that.”

“I don’t want to answer it, if I’m being honest.”

“How did this come up? Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re acting agitated and Lily looked slightly distressed today.”

“I shouldn’t have believed that you wouldn’t pick up on it,” Remus said with a tight smile.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“We were arguing last night,” Remus said, staring out the window to watch what he could of the practice taking place on the field. “It was about my social skills and my lack of care to get to know new people.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but it isn’t unusual for you two to argue about that. Why would this argument turn into a fight?”

“I said that I was happy with the people I have in my life right now and she retaliated. She said that I was the only person and that she wasn’t always going to be here with me.”

Mrs McGonagall stared at the student beside her. She understood what happened and where things went south. Since she has started to get to know Remus in the first year of High School she knew that he was scared of Lily leaving him. Remus didn’t have many things that he was terribly scared of but the one the three of them knew of was Lily leaving him. Mrs McGonagall could tell how affected Remus was without asking and she could understand why he was acting like he was. She could feel her heart clench at the look on Remus’ face as he recalled what his best friend said.

“Do you think she meant it?” Mrs McGonagall politely and quietly asked.

“I don’t think she did, but I also don’t know if there was any truth behind her words. That’s the reason behind me needing space. I don’t know if there was any sort of truth.”

“What truth are you talking about?”

“You know how they say ‘drunk words are sober thought?’” After a slight nod from his vice-principal, Remus continued. “It seems that words yelled in arguments are sometimes like that as well. When people are arguing and voices are being raised, sometimes things that we have thought about come out and maybe it doesn’t mean that we believe it but we have thought about it. I’m trying to figure out if Lily had thought about leaving me before or anything along those lines.”

“Would it not be easier to ask her about it?”

“It would be easier but I needed space and time to think. If I asked her right then and there, she would have said anything to make me feel better.”

“You’re not wrong,” Mrs McGonagall said, sipping her tea. They both knew that Lily would say anything to take a hurt look off of Remus’ face. It wasn’t that she would actively try to lie but she would do anything to take back any hurt she caused and Remus was the same way. “Are you talking tonight?”

“We are. We have our biology partners coming over and after they leave then we will talk.”

“James and Sirius?” Mrs McGonagall said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Remus said with a sigh. “Those are our biology partners.”

“Is this how the argument started then?”

“It is.”

“Do you want to expand on that?”

“Not really,” Remus said with a light smile. “I guess I’m just worried.”

“Why are you worried?”

“They seem nice and… entertaining. If I let them close then they could easily break me. I don’t think I can deal with more people breaking me. I don’t want to get hurt again.”

“So what you’re saying is that they can’t hurt you if you don’t let them in?”

Remus nodded his head slowly. He could see that Lily enjoyed the conversations at The Order and enjoyed their company. Remus was worried that they would find out his secrets and then leave him. If they found out and then left him? That would break Remus if they became close enough and he doesn’t know how he would be able to deal with that.

“They are good students- Okay, let me rephrase that,” Mrs McGonagall said when she saw the look of apprehension on Remus’ face. “They aren’t the best students but they are good boys. They are kind and caring. I think if you let them in that it could be the start of something new.”

“Was that a High School Musical reference?”

“It was,” she said with a smile. “I saw the opportunity but I’m also not kidding. I think you would be surprised about where life could go if you let them in. I’m not telling you what to do but I do think you should at least consider my words. This group could be your new gang.”

“Frank, Marlene, Dorcas and I were a good gang,” Remus said with a fond smile. “Are you sure Hogwarts is ready to experience that trouble?”

“No,” Mrs McGonagall said, standing from her seat. “Hogwarts will never be ready but I’m sure you’re more than ready to cause some more trouble. Does Lily know about them?”

“All she knows is that there was a gang,” Remus replied, standing from his chair and picking up his bag. “I’m not ready to share those memories or people with her. Does that make me selfish?”

“No, it doesn’t. You don’t owe anyone anything and if you want to keep those memories for yourself for another year or for the rest of your life, you can do just that. However, I do believe practice is ending now and you have to go walk two boys to Lily’s house so you can work on the project. You let me know if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you, Mrs McGonagall.” With a bright smile on his face, Remus left the comforts of the office and walked to meet James and Sirius. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a little more open to James and Sirius... Only a little bit open though.

“Where’s Lily?” James asked as Remus walked towards him and his brother with no Lily by his side. 

“She went home to do some baking,” Remus replied. “Do you have everything?”

“I believe so,” Sirius responded. “How was your day?”

“It was alright. How was it for you both?”

“Good,” James said with a small smile. “Football practice always makes a good end to the school day.”

“James put it perfectly,” Sirius said with a matching smile. “Should we start going?”

With a quick nod, Remus turned on his heel and started the usual walk home. It was weird to not be walking with Lily but it was weirder to be walking home with James and Sirius. They wouldn’t stop talking and Remus was slightly tired of their voices.

“What do you like to do for fun, Remus?” Sirius asked.

“Reading. Yourself?”

“Football and Mario Kart. Do you have a favourite book?”

“A favourite book or a favourite book series?”

Remus couldn’t believe what he was doing. He was willingly responding to questions fired by James and Sirius and now he was actively engaging. Why didn’t he just pick the most boring book and say it was his favourite? Why did he bother to engage in this? It was too late now, Remus was in too deep to end the conversation.

“Is there a difference?” James asked, slight tension in his forehead.

Remus almost tripped and fell at the question. Quickly gaining his balance, he shot his company a bewildered look.

“Is there a difference between a book and a series? A series is a collection of books that make up one giant story. A book that isn’t in a series is one story by itself. How do you not know the difference?”

James looked slightly taken back but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“I knew that part but that was actually the best explanation I have ever heard. What I meant was is there a difference between having a book as a favourite or having a series as a favourite?”

“Let me think about how to explain this to you both.” Remus walked silently for a moment before getting an idea. “Okay, do you both have a favourite football player?”

“Yes,” Sirius said with slight confusion.

“Now do you have a favourite team?”

“Yes...”

“Does your favourite player sometimes get traded teams and does that affect who your favourite team is?”

“Sometimes,” James replied. “But sometimes he isn’t on my favourite team because of the rest of the team members and who that player is now playing beside.”

“Exactly,” Remus said. “Think of it that way. If I have a favourite book then it is by itself. If I have a favourite series then that means it has different books that make up the series. It isn’t an exact comparison but it’s about as close as a comparison as I can come up with.”

“So what’s your favourite book series?” Sirius asked as they turned into a cul-de-sac.

“The Maze Runner Series. It’s my favourite by far.” Remus knocked three times on Lily’s front door before opening it and walking in. “Lil’s? We’re here!”

“Remus,” Mr Evans said, walking into the kitchen with a smile on his face. “Long time no see!”

“I was here yesterday, but I’ll pretend it’s been a long time,” Remus replied with a smile. After giving his honourary dad a hug, Remus pulled away and introduced the boys next to him.

“This is James and Sirius. Lily and I were partnered up with them for a group project.”

“Ah yes,” Mr Evans said as he shook both of the boys’ hands. “Welcome to the Evans household. Lily is upstairs in her room.”

Remus gave Mr Evans a quick nod of his head before motioning for James and Sirius to follow him up the stairs. Walking into his best friend’s room, Remus saw her sitting on the window seat with her legs dangling out the window.

“Don’t try to jump,” he said, laughing when she whipped around at the noise. “You can’t really escape this project and you can’t leave me to finish it on my own.”

“What are we?” Sirius asked quietly to his brother. “Chopped liver?”

“More like a white crayon,” both Remus and Lily replied before sitting on the ground next to each other.

“Now come sit,” Lily said. “We need to start on this project.”

“Okay,” Remus said as he pulled out his notes. “There are nine different glands we need to research and present on and there are four of us. Should we split it in two and then ourselves into two groups and work that way?”

“I think that would work well,” Lily said, nodding her head in agreement. “James and Sirius?”

“It should work depending on how we are grouped,” Sirius replied hesitantly.

“Care to explain?” Lily said with a raised eyebrow.

“Please don’t bite my head off but I think that if James and I are in a group together then we will get nothing done because we know nothing. I’m not saying this so that we don’t have to carry our weight in this project. We aren’t going to make you do it all but I actually want to help and Prongs and I will probably accidentally make us fail if we are partnered together. We will literally be as useful as white crayons if you both leave us alone to do the work.”

“You make us sound much worse than we are, Pads,” James muttered.

“I’m being honest, chill out,” Sirius replied with an eye roll.

“Okay,” Lily said, her face scrunched in thought.

“James and Lily are partners and I’ll partner with Sirius,” Remus said quickly. “We can work at the same time and at the same place but split it like that. Does everyone agree?”

Everyone looked between each other before nodding.

“How do we split it up?” James asked. “Do we split it up by the glands or the amount of work?”

“Both,” Remus said as he looked over his notes. “Sirius and I can do the Hypothalamus, Parathyroid, Thyroid and Testes. James and Lily can work on the Pituitary, Pancreas, Adrenal, Pineal and Ovaries.”

“Sounds good,” James replied. “Should we start now?”

After two hours of intense planning and researching, the group was finally finished for the night.

“I’ll walk them down, Lil’s,” Remus said, standing up from the ground. “I’ll be back up and we can talk then.”

“Promise you’re coming back up?”

“I pinky promise,” Remus said with an eye roll. Remus followed James and Sirius down the stairs and into the front yard.

“Um, Remus?” Sirius asked quietly as they were standing on the porch.

“Yes?”

“Are you good at essays?” James asked.

“Depends on why you’re asking.”

“Do you think you could help Prongs and me with the English essay due on Monday?”

“Help you or write it for you?”

James and Sirius looked at each other in confusion. Why would they want him to write it for them? That’s not how friendships works.

“Help us,” James said. “We suck at essays and we need to get our grades up so we can stay on the football team.”

Remus looked back and forth between the two friends in front of him. He had his fair share of people asking him if he could write their essays for them. Some people had even offered to pay him but he always said no. The first reason being that he didn’t want to hang out with or get to know anyone. The second reason was because, well, he didn’t want to write anyone’s essays. There was no point in it. Looking back and forth between James and Sirius, Remus let out a small sigh.

“I can help. I’m not going to write it for you but I’ll try to help you both.”

Remus was thrown off by the giant and sincere smiles on the faces in front of him.

“You are the best, Remus,” Sirius said with a smile. “When does it work for you?”

“I know it’s a little late but how about Sunday afternoon?”

“That sounds good. Where do we want to meet?” James asked.

“I don’t know,” Remus said. “Pass me your phones and I’ll put my number in so we can figure something out.”

After exchanging phones and phone numbers, James and Sirius started walking to their home and Remus walked up to Lily’s room. Sitting next to her, Remus sat down on Lily’s bed. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Remus broke it.

“I’m not mad,” he said quietly.

“But you’re hurt,” Lily stated. They both knew she was right. Even though Remus wasn’t mad, it was almost worse that he was hurt instead of mad.

“I know.”

“I’m sorry about what I said, Rem.”

“I know you are. I know you weren’t trying to hurt me or make me upset.”

“What did you think about? You only ask for time if you need to think.”

“I need you to promise that you’ll answer me honestly, Lily. I don’t want you to give me the answer I want to hear just because it will make me feel better. Okay?” After receiving a nod from Lily, Remus continued. “Have you thought about leaving me?”

“What?”

“Have you thought about leaving me, Lily? Have you thought about not being here for me anymore?”

“No,” Lily said with wide eyes. “No, I’ve never thought of that. I never thought of giving up on you and leaving you alone. I didn’t know what I said until after it left my mouth. It wasn’t what I meant to say and it didn’t come off the way I intended.”

“What did you mean to say, then?” Remus asked quietly.

“I was trying to get you to accept or see that you are scared of letting people in. You don’t let people near. People have tried getting to know you but you don’t let them in and I’m worried that one day I’ll be unable to be there for you. Not on purpose, but if something happens and I can’t be there then that will break not only you but me as well.”

“You’re worried that you’ll be unable to help me?” Remus asked in confusion. He wasn’t hurt by her words at all right now, but he was thrown off. Had Lily put thought into the idea about what would happen if Lily was unable to be there? Was she honestly worried about not being there?

“Not because I don’t want to but because something happened and I’m not around for whatever reason. Remus,” Lily said, taking his hands in her’s. “I would have failed you as a best friend and as a sister if I let that happen. I didn’t mean for it to come out like it did, I meant for it to be a ‘what if’ situation. What if I can’t be there? What if something happened and you had no one to turn to? I worry about it and you, Remus.”

Remus stared at his sister as he let her words settle in his mind. It made sense and he knew she wasn’t lying about it. She had a point and Remus knew that if the roles were reversed that he would feel the same way. Pulling her into a hug, Remus wordlessly thanked her.

“I know you’re right,” he said after pulling away. “I’m worried that if I let people in then they will get close to me and they will hurt me. I’m not ready to be hurt again, Lily.”

“I know, love. You know I’ll do anything to help you from being hurt.”

“I know, but sometimes we can’t control what happens. Life throws things at us and watches us deal with it. Sometimes I think that life just enjoys throwing trauma at me. Anytime life gets a little boring then it just sprinkles some more trauma on me.”

Lily let out a tiny laugh at the imagery of her friend. He did get more than his fair share of trauma than anyone should before the age of 18.

“What took you so long to come back up from walking James and Sirius to the door?”

“Oh,” Remus said as he pulled out his phone. “They were wondering if I could help them with their essays for English.”

“Wait and you said yes?!”

“I did,” Remus said with a tight smile. “I really hope this doesn’t come back and bite me in the butt.”

“I’m sure it won’t...”

“Lily?”

“Yes?”

“Don’t try to be overly optimistic that this work project will turn into a friendship, okay?”

“But you said yes!”

“I know… But it still might-”

“Could you just pretend to be slightly excited? Put your shield of worry away. It’s just me you’re talking to.”

“Fine,” Remus said with an eye roll. “I’m slightly excited but also terrified that it won’t work out. They seem nice.”

“We will get through it,” Lily said with a smile. “Whether a friendship grows or it stays as just the two of us, we will get through it together.”

“I love you, Lil’s.”

“I love you too, Rem.”

(  **Remus** /  _ Sirius  _ )

8:35 am:  _ Hey! Where are you thinking about for Sunday? _

8:35 am:  _ It’s Sirius, by the way. _

8:40 am:  **Hello. Aren’t you in class right now?**

8:41 am:  _ Aren’t you in class right now? _

8:42 am:  **I am using a hall pass, so no.**

8:42 am:  **As to answer your question, we can work at my house if that works for you and James?**

8:43 am:  _ That sounds good. What time? _

9:35 am:  **2 pm?**

9:36 am:  _ Sounds good! _

9:39 am:  **You know, you might be better at school if you didn’t text in class… Just saying.**

9:40 am:  _ I never get caught so I’m fine! _

9:44 am:  **Well, I’m going to pay attention now. Our teacher just walked in and I’d suggest putting your phone away before it gets taken away.**

9:45 am:  _ I never get caught! What part of ‘never’’ do you not understand? _

10:30 am:  **Thank you for making my day much more entertaining. I loved watching Mr Slughorn take your phone for the day.**

3:35 pm:  _...I almost never get caught… _

3:45 pm:  **Finally got your phone back? I did enjoy the silence of no texts. I will look forward to you getting your phone taken away again soon.**

3:46 pm:  _ And here I was thinking that you were the nicest person in the school… _

3:55 pm:  **It’s all a facade that you have become a victim too.**

3:56 pm:  _ You become more and more interesting as time goes on… _

5:30 pm:  **Thanks?**

5:31 pm:  _ You’re welcome! _

“Hey, Remus!” James and Sirius exclaimed enthusiastically as Remus opened the front door.

“Hello,” Remus said with a small smile. “Come on in.”

Remus walked up the stairs and into his room, James and Sirius following behind him. Remus sat down on his bed and motioned for James and Sirius to sit anywhere. Looking at each other, James and Sirius both sat down at the chairs at the desk.

“So,” Remus started. “Where are you both at for the essay?”

“Uh… I’ve written my name?” James said sheepishly.

“And I’ve read the assignment?” Sirius said with a guilty smile.

Remus stared at the two boys before shaking his head and pulling out his assignment.

“Alright,” he started. “Where do you stand on the topic? The questions are ‘does an ideal and successful family have a mom, dad and child(ren)?’ And ‘is a family built with a mom and dad guarantee a better chance in life for child(ren)?’”

“No,” both James and Sirius said with a shake of their head.

“Okay. What are three reasons why you disagree? Think about that and write it down. You don’t have to tell me what your reasons are but you can if you want.”

Silence filled the room for a couple of moments while Remus waited for James and Sirius to finish writing. Once the pencils stopped moving, Remus continued.

“Now on a different page, write your reasons down with four or five lines between them. Once you do that, write down a couple of things that prove your point for your three reasons specifically. Once you do that then we will work on the writing itself.”

“Remus,” Sirius said as he collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. “You are the best person in the world.”

“I second what Sirius says,” James added.

“I just helped you with your essay, it’s not that impressive...”

“Nope,” Sirius said with a smile. “You are the best person and you deserve everything good life has to offer. We will at least pass this essay!”

“You guys will do better than ‘just pass,’” Remus said with an eye roll. “I’m guessing between 85-95%.”

“That’s such a high number!” Jame explained in surprise.

“You guys write well if you apply yourselves. I didn’t do much-”

“Remus,” Sirius said with a shake of his head. “You literally just single-handedly saved our grades and our football team. We needed the help.”

“I agree with what Sirius said. Don’t sell yourself short, man. You’re the best.”

“Well,” Remus said as he stood from his bed. “I’m glad I could help then.”

“What’s the likelihood you’ll help us next Sunday on the upcoming essay?...”

Remus rolled his eyes and shook his head in amusement.

“If you guys need help then we will do the same thing next week.”

“You know,” Mrs McGonagall said as she sat across from Remus and Lily during their free period in her office. “I heard something interesting from Mr Binns this morning.”

“And what would that be?” Remus asked, taking a sip of his tea.

“James and Sirius passed their essays,” she said as she stared at Remus. “They managed to both get 93% on their essays. Care to explain what happened, Remus?”

“They just needed some guidance,” Remus said quietly. “They asked for some help so I helped them. I walked them through the process and then got them to proofread each other’s essays before I did a final check.”

“I’m very proud of you, Remus,” Mrs McGonagall said with a smile. “I don’t even have to ask Lily how she feels about it because her smile says everything I need to know.”

Remus rolled his eyes at the conversation. He knew they were trying not to make a big deal out of it, but it was a big step for Remus.

“I almost fell off the bed when he told me that he agreed to help them,” Lily added. “They are pretty nice...”

“James is no longer an arrogant toe rag?” Remus asked with a mischievous smile.

“I said it one time!”

“Well you did say it very passionately,” Mrs McGonagall said with a laugh. “Remus, will you be helping them again with their essays?”

“I will be. We are meeting again next Sunday.”

“You didn’t tell me that!” Lily exclaimed.

“You didn’t ask,” Remus replied with a shrug.

(  **Remus** /  _ Sirius  _ )

2:00 pm:  **Meet at The Order after school for the project? Lily and I work until 5:30 pm.**

2:01 pm:  _ ‘Hello Sirius. How is your day going?’ ‘My day is going well, thank you for asking Remus! To what do I owe this lovely opportunity to talk again?’ ‘Lily and I were wondering if you and James were able to meet at The Order after school to work on our project this fine and lovely Tuesday? We work until 5:30 pm.’ _

2:01 pm:  _ That sounds great! We will see you then! _

2:02 pm:  **… I don’t even know what to say. You’re so weird.**

2:03 pm:  _ Texting in class?! Is this Remus? Did you steal his phone? Remus would NEVER text in class! _

2:05 pm:  **At least I can avoid getting my phone taken away in class.**

“So,” Lily said as she watched Remus make a drink behind the bar. “How is it going with Sirius?”

“What are you talking about, Lily?”

“I’ve heard that you have been texting him.”

Remus rolled his eyes at his sister. Of course she heard that they have been texting. Remus only texts Lily and Mrs McGonagall.

“Did you happen to hear that from your boy?”

“I don’t have a boy!”

“James. You have been talking to James a lot lately. Should I be preparing to give the brother speech?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Lily said, turning to wipe down the counter.

“You’re getting more fond of him. I can read you like a book and I see how you look at him-”

“Can we continue this conversation when we aren’t at work? They will be here soon and I don’t want them to hear any of this.”

“You mean you don’t want James to hear any of this?”

“Are our grandchildren growing up and talking about potential suitors?” Remus and Lily turned around at the voice of their Grams. “Why don’t you two start making your drinks and then you can sit at the table and wait for your friends.”

With a silent nod, Remus sent a quick text to Sirius and started to make two vanilla lattes.

(  **Remus** /  _ Sirius  _ )

5:25 pm:  **What do you and James want to drink?**

5:26 pm:  _ Something as manly as us. We need drinks that prove our masculinity. _

5:26 pm:  **So something pink and sweet?**

5:28 pm:  _ You wound me, Remus. _

5:28 pm:  **I’ve made you both your plain lattes, don’t worry.**

“Hey, guys,” Lily greeted as James and Sirius walked towards the table she and Remus were sitting at. “We are ready to start whenever you both are.”

“Remus,” James said with a smile. “Thank you so much for making Sirius run into a street lamp on the way here. It made my day.”

“You’re very welcome,” Remus replied.

“What did Rem do?”

“He insulted my masculinity!”

“There isn’t much there to insult,” Remus whispered quietly.

“Remus!” Sirius exclaimed, placing a hand over his heart.

Remus just stared back at Sirius with an innocent look while James and Lily were bent over in laughter.

“You present me with opportunities. I’m going to take them if you present them,” Remus said in his defence.

“I always thought you were so innocent,” Sirius said in disbelief. “You are the complete opposite of what I expected you to be… You are ruthless!”

Remus just shrugged his shoulders in response, taking a sip of his drink. James and Lily were still trying to catch their breath from their laughter. Remus stood up and after a quick explanation of where he was going, Remus made his way to the washroom.

“You’ll come to learn that he is very different from what people assume,” Lily said with a smile. “If this partnership develops into a friendship then you’ll see a very different side of him.”

“It is not already a friendship?” James asked in confusion.

“Jury is still out on that,” Lily said with a small smile.

“Is there a reason Remus is mostly cold to us and distanced?” Sirius asked politely.

“I can’t say much,” Lily started quietly. “But he’s been hurt a lot. He doesn’t like letting people in because the more people he lets in then the more opportunity he has to get hurt.”

“Oh,” Sirius sighed as his face scrunched up in confusion and thought.

“He’s let you both in more than almost anyone else, though. But please, if this is just a phase for you both and you’ll leave once you pass the biology project and your essays, just leave now. I don’t want the first people he let in hurt him in such a big way.”

“If it’s up to us then you both will be stuck with us for a long time,” Sirius said with a smile.

“Good. Thank you,” Lily said with a matching smile.

“Hey!” Sirius exclaimed as he walked up to Remus and Lily in the school hallway.

“Hey, Sirius,” Lily greeted with a smile. “What’s up?”

“James and I were wondering if you both wanted to come over and play some Mario Kart tonight?”

“Who will all be there?” Remus asked hesitantly.

“Just us four and our other friend Peter. It won’t be a big thing but we thought you both might want to join?”

“I have something after school,” Remus said quietly. “When are you thinking?”

“What time does that thing end at?”

“5:00 pm.”

“How about you and Lily just come over after? Mrs Potter said you are both able to stay for supper as well.”

“Can I text you later and decide?” Remus asked. “Lil’s is free so she can go but I’ll see how I’m feeling after the thing and if I feel up to it then I can join?”

“Of course,” Sirius said with a smile. “I’ll text you the address anyways.”

(  **Remus** /  _ Sirius  _ )

3:15 pm:  _ I hope the ‘thing’ goes well! Hopefully you can stop by after. _

3:16 pm:  **You couldn’t wait 15 minutes to text that? Class is almost over… But thank you.**

3:17 pm:  _ You couldn’t wait 14 minutes to reply? Class is almost over… But you’re welcome :) _

3:25 pm  **I’m friends with a child…**

3:26 pm:  _ Are you upset about being friends with a child? _

3:30 pm:  **Surprisingly not. I’ll let you know if I’m coming over. Thank you again for the invite.**

3:31 pm:  _ You’re very welcome. Let me know if you need anything. _

4:25 pm:  _ No offence, but Lily is awful at Mario Kart. _

4:45 pm:  _ SHE FINALLY WON A RACE!! _

4:55 pm:  _ I hope your appointment/thing is going well. Let me know how you’re doing :) _

5:05 pm:  **Hey. I’m not doing too well so I don’t think I’ll come over.**

5:06 pm:  _ Do you want to meet at The Order? _

5:07 pm:  **You have guests, it’s okay. Thank you for the invite. I’m sorry I can’t make it.**

5:08 pm:  _ Eh, James can keep them entertained. Are you at The Order now? _

5:09 pm:  **Really, Sirius. I’m okay to be alone here. I’ll just read a bit.**

5:10 pm:  _ I’m on my way. _

Remus stared at the texts on his phone. Why did Sirius care so much? He loves Mario Kart so why is he giving it up for him? Pulling the book from his bag, Remus started chapter one of The Maze Runner. The Maze Runner was a comfort book of his and he had re-read the series many times. It was something that he knew and was comforting to him. He didn’t have to think hard about the plot because he knew it so well. As he got lost in the book, he felt the spot beside him on the couch dip as someone sat next to him. Looking up, he made eye contact with Sirius.

“I ordered you another vanilla latte,” he said with a smile. “Let me know if you want to talk or anything, I’m just going to listen to a podcast.” With the final word, Sirius put an earbud into his ear, closed his eyes and leaned back on the couch.

Remus smiled a small smile before continuing reading for a while. As he finished the seventh chapter, Remus closed the book and put it back in his bag. Hearing the movement, Sirius opened his eyes and looked at Remus.

“You okay?” He quietly asked.

“I’m okay,” Remus said with a forced smile.

“Okay,” Sirius said. “Don’t feel like you need to fake anything, especially a smile.”

Remus stared at Sirius for a moment, studying his face. Remus wasn’t used to anyone besides Lily and Mrs McGonagall picking up on his smile being fake. Leaning back next to Sirius, Remus started to talk.

“I have therapy on Thursdays. They tend to be mentally exhausting.”

“Ah,” Sirius sighed. “I understand.”

“Really?” Remus replied with a raised eyebrow and a look of unbelief.

“Really really,” Sirius said with a forced smile. “I go to therapy every three weeks. It’s draining and I don’t go every week. Don’t feel like you have to explain why you go, I’m not going to pry.”

“Thanks, Sirius,” Remus said with a small but now genuine smile.

“You’re very welcome. You’re my friend, Remus. I’m more than happy to just sit in silence when you need it.”

The silence they returned to only lasted a moment before both of their phones started to ring. Looking at their phones, they saw James and Lily calling them.

“Did you tell them you left?” Remus asked.

“Kind of?”

Rolling his eyes, Remus picked up his phone and held it between the two of them and accepting the call.

(  **Remus** /  _ Sirius  _ /  **_James_ ** / Lily )

“ **Remus and Sirius here.** ”

“Remus! Are you okay?! Where are you both?!”

“ **_Sirius! Where are you?! It’s been three hours and you haven’t come back! You said you were just stepping out for a moment!_ ** ”

“ _ James, my dear brother, did you miss me? _ ”

”For the love of a-”

“ **We are fine. We are just leaving The Order.** ”

“The Order closed an hour ago...”

“ **Grams and Gramps just asked me to close us when we left. I wasn’t ready to go home.** ”

“ _ The owners are your grandparents? Wait, are you guys related?! _ ”

“They are our honourary grandparents.”

“ **They are like grandparents so we just call them Grams and Gramps.** ”

“Back on topic. Are you both okay?“

“ _ We are fine, Lily. We will be leaving in just a moment. _ ”

“ **_Do you want us to meet you both somewhere?_ ** ”

“ **We are fine. Thank you though. We will be at the Potter household in a bit.** ”

Hanging up the phone, Sirius and Remus looked at each other before shaking their heads in amusement and disbelief.

“Are we sure they are our friends and not our parents?” Remus questioned as he put his bag on his back and gave Sirius a hand standing up.

“No idea,” Sirius said with a laugh. “I think it depends on the day.”

After locking the door behind them, Remus and Sirius started walking down the street.

“Thanks for coming to sit with me,” Remus said quietly. “You didn’t have to but I appreciated it.”

“You’re my friend, Remus,” Sirius said with a smile. “You’re stuck with me for a while longer now. Text me if you ever want some company. I understand the exhaustion of therapy better than a lot of people.”

As the two friends walked in the dark, Remus couldn’t help but smile at the friend he had beside him. He tried to fight the friendship for a while but he was glad he gave in and accepted the friendship. Maybe this was the start of something new. Maybe, just maybe, this friendship would last for longer than high school.

“What do you want me to say when James questions what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Remus said with a sigh. “I don’t want him to know about me needing therapy right now. Maybe later but not right now. I know he’s your brother and-”

“Remus, it’s okay,” Sirius said with a laugh. “I understand, I’m not ready for Lily to know I go to therapy either. We can just tell them that you got lost in a book and I fell asleep while listening to a podcast.”

“Did you fall asleep?”

“Not at all.”

As Remus and Sirius walked into the Potter household, they were greeted with yells and hugs.

“Why didn’t you text me?! Remus John Lupin, you forgot to text me!”

“Why didn’t you text me?! Sirius Orion Black, you forgot to text me!”

James and Lily froze completely in response to their outcries.

“For fucks sake,” Remus laughed. “You guys are like the same person.”

Both James and Lily continued to stand frozen while their friends laughed loudly at them.

“We are both fine,” Sirius said with a smile through his laughter. “We were distracted and just forgot.”

“What got you both so distracted?”

“I was reading The Maze Runner and Sirius fell asleep listening to a podcast. Honestly, we are both fine.”

Both James and Lily studied their friends before accepting their answers and put their shoes and coats on.

“Alright,” James said. “Well, it’s dark out so Sirius and I will walk you both home.”

As they walked to Lily and Remus’ homes, mindless conversations flowed between the four of them. As soon as James and Sirius turned to leave, Lily pulled Remus inside to question him.

“So how did it go?”

“Painfully exhausting, so the usual.”

“And you and Sirius?”

“What about Sirius and I?”

“What happened?”

“He just sat next to me while I read and he listened to a podcast.”

“Honestly?”

“I pinky promise, Lil’s. Really, I’m fine.”

“Did you ask him to come sit with you?”

“In the nicest way, please use your brain. Why would I ask him to come sit with me?”

“So what? He just came and sat with you without you asking him?”

“That’s literally what happened. He asked if I wanted him to come sit with me but I said I was fine and that I was just going to read at The Order and then he told me he was on his way.”

“He’s a good friend to you.”

“He is.”

“I’m glad you gave him and James a chance.”

“Me too, Lil’s.”

“So,” James started as he heard the front door of Lily’s home close. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

“I already told you. I went and sat with Remus and he read while I listened to a podcast.”

“Yes, but why did you?”

“Why did I listen to a podcast?”

“Why did you go sit with him?”

Sirius took a deep breath before deciding what to say. After a couple of moments, he began to speak.

“I asked how he was doing and he told me he wasn’t doing well. I then asked him if he wanted me to meet up with him and he said it was okay and that I had guests over. He told me he would just go and read at The Order and I told him I was on my way. He wasn’t doing well so I went and sat with him.”

“You’re a good friend to him.”

“He deserves a good friend. I mean, after all, we will be third-wheeling pretty soon when you and Lily start dating so might as well start hanging out now.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

(  **Remus** /  _ Sirius  _ )

9:12 pm:  _ Did you get interrogated by Lily? _

9:13 pm:  **Oh yes. She wouldn’t stop interrogating me. She kept going back and forth between therapy and you and then back to therapy and then back to you. Did James interrogate you?**

9:15 pm:  _ I’m so sorry you got interrogated so badly. I got interrogated for a bit but then I flipped it back onto him by asking him about his feelings for Lily. _

9:16 pm:  **That is a smart move. When is he planning on asking her out?**

9:17 pm:  _ You know that he likes her? _

9:18 pm:  **I’m very observant. I also know that Lily is starting to like him back. We are going to be third wheeling together, aren’t we?**

9:19 pm:  _ That we are.  _

9:23 pm:  _ How are you feeling? _

9:24 pm:  **Better, thank you. Thanks again for sitting with me and not pushing me.**

9:25 pm:  _ You’re very welcome, Remus. I’m happy to help in any way I can. _

9:25 pm:  _ Also, I was very thrown off when you swore. You’re like the stereotypical teachers' pet! Who taught you how to swear? You’re a child! _

9:26 pm:  **Aren’t I older than you? Also, I think you will be surprised when you get to know me better. I tend to be an awful influence on people and bring out their side of mischief.**

9:27 pm:  _ Somehow I don’t believe that you are a bad influence… _

9:28 pm:  **Just you wait.**

9:29 pm:  _ … Okay, well now I’m worried! _

9:30 pm:  **Good.**

9:31 pm:  _ Good? GOOD?! Who are you and what did you do with Remus?? _

9:34 pm:  _ Remus??? _

9:38 pm:  _ Are you alive?? Remus???? _

9:39 pm:  **Remus is no more. Remus is the devil in disguise and you have made a deal of friendship with him. Watch out.**

9:40 pm:  _ FOR FUCKS SAKE REMUS! _

9:41 pm:  **You made the effort to be friends with me, Sirius. This is on you.**

9:42 pm:  _ Well… I look forward to the friendship :) _

9:43 pm:  **You’re a good friend already, Sirius. I look forward to placing the blame of my mischief on you and James. It’ll be plenty of fun for me :)**

9:44 pm:  _ … You really are the devil in disguise…. _

9:45 pm:  **You better fucking believe it. See you at school!**

“I can’t believe we aced the presentation!” James and Sirius exclaimed as they walked into The Order. It was now March and the four friends had been put into another group project and just like the biology group project, the group had received full marks.

“We worked very hard,” Lily said as she made their drinks. “Why wouldn’t we have aced it?”

“Because Sirius and I have awful work ethics?” James said, sitting down at one of the tables.

“Remus and I taught you well then,” Lily said with a smile.

“I’m going to go and pick Remus up,” Sirius said, placing his bag at the table with James.

“His appointment doesn’t end for another 15 minutes,” Lily asked in confusion.

“I just want to get there early. We will be back in a bit!”

As Sirius left The Order, he could hear Lily and James talking. With a small and knowing smile on his face, he walked to the therapists’ building and took a seat in one of the waiting chairs. After ten minutes of waiting, Remus walked out of an office looking drained and tired. Sirius stood up and grabbed Remus’ bag and waited for Remus to pay.

“How was it?” Sirius asked as they walked out of the building.

“So much fun,” Remus replied sarcastically.

“A tough session?”

Remus just nodded his head and kept walking.

“Do you want to go sit in the park to gain some energy before we go see our friends?”

“Would you mind?”

“Of course not,” Sirius said with a sad smile. Pulling out his phone to text Lily, Sirius and Remus turned into the park and sat down at one of the picnic tables.

As soon as they sat down, Remus folded his arms on the table and placed his head on top of them. He let out a long sigh before trying to dry his eyes on his sleeves. Remus felt Sirius’ hand rub his back and he relaxed at the touch.

Sirius picking Remus up from his therapy appointments had become a regular event. Sirius would pick him up and they would either meet up with their friends right away or they would go sit in the park or somewhere secluded for Remus to piece himself back together enough to want to be with people.

Therapy was a thing that, although he hated it, Remus knew he needed. It was exhausting and tiring but Remus needed it to get through life right now. It was a long and tiring process and it hurt. Remus spends the week trying to keep himself together and then at his appointment, his walls and protection fall down and are stripped away. He would be completely broken and open and to his therapist but as soon as he walked out of the office, he would start trying to build his walls up so that he could get through the week. Remus didn’t use the walls to block his friends out, but he used them to block others out. It was a learning process and it was slow going. People would tell Remus that he would only get better if he got rid of his walls for good, but Remus believes that sometimes certain walls help. He would build walls that would let his close friends in, but the walls would keep others out.

The walls were tall but he would keep others out and he would be able to put a mask of ‘okay-ness’ on. After his therapy sessions, he had almost nothing and this was where Sirius had become a best friend to Remus. Ever since the first time Sirius saw Remus after an appointment, Remus had been comforted by him. Remus didn’t know why Sirius attended therapy but it was clear that they both knew the process of being emotionally and mentally exhausted from it and needing a moment to pull themselves together enough to talk and socialize. Since that first time, it had become a weekly time for them to hang out. Sirius would sit with Remus until Remus was okay and when it was Sirius’ time for therapy then Remus would sit with Sirius until he felt okay. Neither would mention the tears that happened to both of them after their own appointment but they both knew it would happen. Nothing was ever brought up about the time to the rest of the friends either.

Sirius sat beside Remus with his hand rubbing Remus’ back until he eventually felt Remus’ breathing return back to normal. Sirius kept his hand on his friend’s back until Remus sat up and dried his eyes.

“You alright?” Sirius asked quietly.

“I am now,” Remus said with a small smile. “Did James ask Lily out yet?”

“I haven’t checked yet.” Pulling out his phone, Sirius laughed loudly at the text messages that covered his home screen.

(  **Sirius** /  _ James  _ )

4:55 pm:  _ SHE SAID YES!! _

4:55 pm:  _ OH MY GOSH _

4:56 pm:  _ PADS! LILY AGREED TO GO ON A DATE!! _

4:56 pm:  _ I THINK I’M GOING TO PUKE I’M SO HAPPY!!!! _

5:08 pm:  _ Please ignore the previous texts. I have calmed down and I’d appreciate it if you never brought that up. _

5:34 pm:  **I will not ignore the previous texts. I have screenshotted them and I will forever bring it up. See you in about 10 minutes.**

  
  


Remus laughed at the messages and pulled out his own phone to tell Lily he was okay.

( **Remus** /  _ Lily  _ )

5:35 pm:  **Hey, Lil’s. I’m glad to hear you finally said yes to the arrogant toe rag! Very happy for you :) We will join you in about 10 minutes.**

5:36 pm:  _ Would you let that go already?? Thank you for your support and I look forward to seeing you soon. A vanilla latte for you and Sirius? _

5:37 pm:  **Yes, please. And no, I will not let it go.**

“Should we go join them?” Sirius asked as he stood up from the table.

“Most likely,” Remus said, following Sirius’ lead. “Thanks again for your help.”

“I’m always happy to help. You’re one of my best friends, Remus. Who knew that being partnered with the quiet and innocent boy in class would lead to such a beautiful friendship?”

“I for sure did not,” Remus said with an eye roll.

“Oh, believe me,” Sirius responded in laughter. “James and I knew that. We definitely thought you hated us at the beginning.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong!”

“No, you were just unexplainably cold towards us and looked like you would have rather died than talk to us.”

“Shut the fuck up, Sirius.”

“I’m being honest!”

Remus rolled his eyes at the comments of his best friend. He didn’t know how his school year would have gone without the friendship that formed from the biology project. He did know, however, that Mrs McGonagall’s comment about letting James and Sirius in could be the start of something new was correct. As usual, Mrs McGonagall knew all things and the friendship between James and Sirius and Remus and Lily was the start of something new. The group didn’t know what the future held for them, but they were more than excited to go through it with each other.

**Author's Note:**

> The Gang:
> 
> The backstory about the 'gang' McGonagall and Remus talk about is a group of friends that Remus made when he was admitted to the mental hospital during the summer before grade 11. If you want to read the backstory, it is called "Scout's Honour." Basically, they just caused safe trouble and bothered the nurses in the ward. No actual gang-related activities.  
> The gang is made up of Frank Longbottom, Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes and Remus Lupin. McGonagall is the only one who knows about them.


End file.
